


After All

by akatonbo



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime), Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Character Death Fix, M/M, Seriously Old Fic, Villain Rehabilitation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-07 21:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1914687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akatonbo/pseuds/akatonbo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Queen Beryl kills Zoisite for defying her, but someone with an eye on the bigger picture still has plans for him. When Sailor Moon and her friends find him unconcious in the park, Usagi is able to finish breaking him free from Beryl's already weakened influence... but in the meantime, Beryl has discovered that Zoisite is somehow still alive.</p><p>Unfinished story originally written in 1998, reposted in honor of Sailor Moon Crystal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: A Stitch in Time Saves One

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I originally wrote and published in 1998, which I am now reposting in honor of the new Sailor Moon Crystal anime series. I usually post old stories with their original dates, but I'm pretty sure the only place this thing still existed on the internet was in the Wayback Machine at archive.org, on its archived copy of my old personal website, making it damn near unfindable even for someone who remembered that it existed in the first place (i.e. even I had a little trouble finding it), so I've given it a present date for the time being.
> 
> As is so often the case with really old fanfic, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I wrote it (if possibly less so than my old X-Files fics that are old enough to vote), but even if it doesn't hold up very well, I'm still fond it it. It's also unfinished and likely to remain so; I know I had done some writing on the next chapter (which was titled Princes of the Universe), but I can't find it anywhere and, realistically, the odds of my finishing a 16 year old fanfic would still be pretty low even if I could. (I only looked because I figured I might post that too, if I found it.)
> 
> My original notes for this story say that it begins with episode 35 of the first series (Zoisite's death) and diverges from there, with some manga-based elements and some ideas from RPGs that I was playing in at the time. It was originally intended both to explore Zoisite and Kunzite's past in Endymion's court and to continue forward with the Sailor Moon story up until the defeat of Beryl and Metallia -- all I really remember from the lost third chapter was that it involved Kunzite and brainwashed!Endymion lurking around on a rooftop with a bunch of youma or something -- but most of that never got written.
> 
> I'm deliberately keeping the edits to the original text files as minimal as possible, which means there's still some fangirl Japanese in this story, and the narration wobbles between third person limited and third person vaguely-omniscient sometimes, with some gratuitous fourth wall breaking. I _am_ removing the outdated formatting for inner monologue and for telepathy between Beryl and her minions, though.

There will come a day  
Somewhere far away  
In your arms I'll stay  
My only love

Even though you're gone  
Love will still go on  
The feeling is so strong  
My only love

***

( Dark Kingdom, Kunzite's quarters )

"I'm sorry, Zoisite. I tried to persuade Queen Beryl for a second chance, but..." 

"I'm happy that I could die at your side, Kunzite-sama. I only want to ask you one last favor..." 

Gently, Kunzite held him closer, asking, "What is it?" 

"I want to die beautifully." 

Kunzite bit his lip to keep back tears, and focused his power, creating a rain of the flower petals that Zoisite loved. Even in the ruthless and ugly Dark Kingdom, he had always been a beautiful, fragile blossom among the hard and harsh stone. 

The dying man lifted his head to smile at his mentor, his lover. "It's so pretty... thank you, Kunzite-sama." Then he coughed, the rough motion sending a shudder through his failing body. 

Kunzite forced himself not to show his anguish as Zoisite began to fade, even as he held the smaller man. Even his voice was beginning to fade, or  
perhaps it was just that he was too weak to do more than whisper, "I loved you, Kunzite-sama..." 

He faded rapidly, and suddenly Kunzite felt nothing in his arms, his embrace passing through the filmy image of his beloved, and then even that disappeared into nothingness. Kunzite fell to his knees on the stone floor, whispering as his tears fell, "Forgive me, Zoisite..." 

***

unknowing captor  
you never know how much you  
pierce my spirit  
but i can't touch you  
can you hear it  
a cry to be free  
oh I'm forever under lock and key  
as you pass through me

***

( The far reaches of space, Time's Gate )

The Guardian blinked. 

She lifted her head from its resting place upon a large book, and frowned as she brushed a lock of dark green hair from her cheek. 

"That was _not_ supposed to happen!" Her voice cut softly through the terrible silent of space as she traced her finger carefully down the lines on the page, confirming the events which had slipped her attention. 

She swore quietly, and then sent out the call to her superior, informing her of the mistake. This would have to be fixed drastically. 

***

( Somewhere, anywhere, nowhere, everywhere... )

Zoisite felt himself fading, felt the comforting touch of his love melt away, as everything went black. Yet the comfort of being part of the darkness was denied to him. Although there seemed nothing _to_ perceive, save his own thoughts, he continued to be aware even when everything else was gone. 

He hoped that it would end soon. Being left alone with his own mind surely was the worst thing that could happen to him, worse than the pain of Beryl's attack. He'd go mad. 

Then, as suddenly as the blackness had surrounded him, he was on his feet, surrounded by brights lights and sounds, and completely unprepared to deal with it. He swayed unsteadily, and as the trunk of a tree got uncomfortably close, he managed to get his hands up to meet it, stopping himself from falling. 

_Where am I?_ , he wondered.

His vision was going fuzzy. Carefully gripping the bark of the tree, he tried to lower himself to the ground gently before he fell -- he couldn't bear to pass out and possibly scratch his face. That thought was almost cheering; at least he still had enough will left to worry about his looks. He managed to get himself almost sitting by the time he passed out, just barely catching the sound of someone -- a young and female someone -- yelling his name, before he passed out. He had no time to wonder about the source.


	2. Chapter 1: Things to Do in Tokyo When You're Dead

( Juuban Section of Tokyo, in the park )

Usagi trudged across the park, silent amid the chatter of the other girls. How could she laugh and gossip with them, now? How could they? Her prince, her love, had been snatched from her arms just as she had found him again. Just yesterday, they were reunited, and then he was taken from her. For all she knew, Queen Beryl had killed him. 

Tears welled up in Usagi's eyes, threatening to spill over. But she was determined to be strong, to do her best to live up to the impossible idea of being the Moon Princess, for her friends, for Endymion. Even though she was as far from being a Princess as she could imagine. 

"U-SA-GI!" Rei's yell cut into her reverie, and she jumped about three feet, going SD. 

"Yaaaaa! Nani da yo?!" She blinked around warily, looking for something, anything. Stray youma, purple dinosaur, pink cotton candy monster? No, wrong season. 

Makoto pointed at a tree across the park. "It's Zoisite!" 

Indeed, the Dark Kingdom King's slender form was slumped against the tree that the girls were staring at. His dark gold hair spilled loose, partly hiding his face. 

Ami offered quietly, "He doesn't look very well. I think he's passed out." 

Rei narrowed her eyes. "If that's true, we should get rid of him now, before he does any more damage." 

Luna and Artemis both, for the time being, kept their mouths shut to let the senshi consider the problem themselves. 

Usagi shook her head firmly. "No." 

Minako frowned, "It's too dangerous to let him wake up. He may not be as powerful as Kunzite, but he could really hurt someone before we find out if we can defeat him. Besides, war's fair when you're in love and everything." 

Her last comment earned confused looks from the other girls, until a sweat-dropping Artemis corrected her, "Anou, Mina, I think you mean 'All's fair in love and war.' And Minako and Rei have a point, but I think we should hear what Usagi has to say first." 

Usagi gulped as all eyes turned on her, but she tried to calm herself and compose her thoughts, and when she spoke, for perhaps the second time in her short life, she spoke with the authority of the Princess of the Moon. 

"It's not fair to attack him while he's down. And even if he probably wouldn't be as nice to us, we're supposed to be the _good guys_. Er, girls. When he wakes up, I'll try healing him. Nephrite was able to change his mind about being evil with Naru's help. Maybe there's something good even in Zoisite... maybe. And if it doesn't work, we'll attack him then." 

Luna spoke softly, so as not to be heard, "That was spoken like a true princess, Usagi. Minna, do you agree?" Even Rei didn't dare to argue, her eyes shining with respect for her friend. One by one, they nodded, and ducked behind a convenient shrub to transform. 

"MOON PRISM POWER --" 

"MERCURY POWER --" 

"MARS POWER --" 

"JUPITER POWER --" 

"VENUS POWER --" 

Then five voices in unison, "MAKE UP!" How anyone failed to notice is a mystery. 

Once transformed, the five girls filed over to the tree to circle around the unconscious Zoisite. 

***

Zoisite came to with an incredibly uncomfortable feeling of being watched. He tried opening his eyes, and mmphed in protest. It was brighter then he remembered before passing out, wasn't it? And all those funny colors... his eyes followed the bright patterns upward to meet the gaze of the five Sailor Senshi. 

Oh boy. 

Sailor Moon looked unusually composed, watching him with an almost sympathetic gaze. 

Shaking his head to clear it, Zoisite frowned. "Are you going to kill me now? I've already died once, and I don't care very much to do it again." 

Sailor Moon blinked, and shook her head back at him. "No, we're going to heal you." Then she lifted the silly wand she had used on the nijizuishou carriers, holding the foolish pose for a moment before shouting, "Moon Healing Escalation!" 

As the attack began, she spun in a graceful pirouette, aided quite a bit by the magic, which by necessity made it rather impossible to trip in the middle of the spin. After a few rotations, she drew a circle from head to toes and back with the moon stick and then pointed. 

A wave of glittering light swept over Zoisite, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Maybe he couldn't be "healed" or whatever it was, and he was dying again, or maybe she had simply decided to attack him anyway. Then suddenly, he saw something.. a crystal? ...in front of him, a flash of light, and the pain disappeared, leaving him exhausted. 

Sailor Moon blinked as the glow from her attack sparkled brightly in front of Zoisite's chest, and a strange greenish blue stone floated toward her. A rainbow crystal? It couldn't be. Something else. She reached out a hand, and the strange rock settled neatly in it. 

Zoisite sank back against the tree, panting, confused. Memories flooded back into his mind, mingling with what was already there, trying to paint one complete picture of his two lives. He moaned softly, "My head hurts..." 

Sailor Moon stared at the crystal in her hand. Mercury produced her mini-computer from where ever she kept it -- there certainly wasn't any kind of pocket in the sailor fuku -- and began typing. After a moment, she concluded, "It appears to be the mineral zoisite, a member of the epidote group." 

Zoisite looked up, startled, holding back tears. "Princess Selenity... what have I done?" 

Sailor Moon started, and the wary looks on the faces of the other senshi began to fade, a little. 

"Endymion-sama... I tried to kill him. Tried to kill all of you." Zoisite was crying in earnest now, and Usagi couldn't help herself; rather than continue to watch him cry, she knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring his look of shock. The idea that the princess would offer him comfort after everything he had done was too much, and he closed his arms around the girl and sobbed against her shoulder. 

***

Mars frowned, then opened her mouth to say something about Usagi putting herself in danger, but Jupiter spoke first. "That stone.. kept him under Beryl's control? But Sailor Moon's healed him now. It's okay, right?" 

Mercury nodded, "It looks that way." 

Luna confirmed it, "His energy has changed. Mercury, does the crystal seem to have any trace of the Dark Kingdom remaining in it?" The blue-haired senshi shook her head, and Luna continued, "Then he should be safe." 

Venus nodded. "Maybe if he gets some rest he can tell us his story." 

"Good idea." Sailor Jupiter considered, "I have an apartment to myself. Unless someone else thinks they can get him home safely, he should probably come with me." 

Sailor Mars frowned. "That seems too dangerous to me." 

"Even if there _is_ any trouble, I can call for you guys, and take care of it myself until you get there." 

"Mars has a point," said Artemis. "Zoisite may well not be dangerous any more, but if that's the case, then Queen Beryl might be after him. And that could be even more dangerous." 

Mars looked pleased to be agreed with, and announced, "You can't take him home alone, then. One of us should go with you. Maybe more." 

Jupiter sighed. "Well, what if whoever decided to come over can't get permission?" 

"What if we all ask, and then everyone who gets permission comes over? We can have a slumber party!" 

Luna considered, "That's actually a good idea, Venus. The more of you in one place, the better prepared you'll be to deal with trouble." 

Artemis nodded his agreement. "And even if Mina and Usagi can't go, at least one of us should." 

With everyone in agreement, they looked to Sailor Moon and Zoisite. 

***

Sailor Moon held tightly to Zoisite, starting to cry herself. She didn't understand what was going on, but she knew that Zoisite was hurting terribly somehow, and despite everything he had done, she understood the kind of deep hurt he must feel, if he once had been on their side in the past. 

_Even if... even if he's killed Endymion,_ she thought, _I have to forgive him. He must feel it too... the emptiness of fearing that no one understands the pain he's in._

They clung to each other fiercely, Zoisite more in desperation, Sailor Moon more in protection and comfort, and both because they needed to be held. After a while Sailor Moon became aware of the others talking, and listened to the discussion for a moment, but decided to let them settle it. She de-transformed, estimating that Zoisite was too out of it to notice. She was right. The ex-King was oblivious to the change of fabric beneath his cheek, just holding on. 

The other senshi continued talking, but Usagi ignored them, smoothing Zoisite's hair and whispering soothingly to the trembling man. 

***

Zoisite couldn't stop shaking. He wanted to; the feeling was terribly uncomfortable. But he couldn't stop thinking, and he couldn't stop feeling that he couldn't possibly deserve comfort from this girl. 

_I tried to kill her love, my prince.. how can she hold me like this?_

He felt a little ill from the shivers and the crying, but they still wouldn't stop. Finally he felt the girl's fingers on his hair, her touch a bit hesitant, and he choked back another sob, doing his best to calm. Amazingly, it actually started to work. 

Before too long, he felt eyes on them, and lifted his head. The others were watching the pair silently, de-transformed now, looking more than a little startled at their position. He flushed faintly, and Usagi looked up as well at his movement. Neither spoke before the senshi's plan was revealed. 

"We've decided that it would probably be best if Zoisite stayed at Makoto's house, since she doesn't have to worry about her parents freaking out," Luna announced. "And anyone who can get their parents' permission, including you if you're up to it, Usagi, will be going over there as well to keep an eye on things. If Beryl is looking for Zoisite, we'll be safest with as many of us together as possible." 

Usagi nodded. "That's fine with me if it's alright with Zoisite." She looked to him then, waiting to see what he would say. 

Zoisite nodded softly, though he seemed a bit uncertain as to whether it was a good idea. "I could use some rest... death takes a bit out of a person." His eyes flashed with just a hint of irony, but he didn't have energy for much more. "And I'll tell you all what happened to me after I've had a nap." 

Makoto nodded, offering Zoisite a hand up. Her expression held nothing but friendliness, and he almost started to cry again, but he bit his lip and willed the tears not to fall, and it worked well enough as he untangled his arms from Usagi and stood with the tall girl's help -- she was nearly his height, embarrassingly enough. 

Rei offered her help to Usagi, who gave her friend a quick hug in thanks. Then the blonde girl turned to Zoisite, murmurring, "Things will be okay. Even though it doesn't seem like it, they _have_ to be." 

Zoisite bowed to her, then stood and looked at her with utmost respect. "Selenity-hime.. I can't begin to make amends for all the harm I've done... and yet you still are willing to help me..." 

Usagi smiled almost shyly. Clearly she wasn't used to being treated as royalty. "Zoisite... I know that you were being controlled, and I can see that you're hurting now because of what you did. We can all talk about things some more after you've rested and feel up to sharing what you know." 

The other girls and even Artemis and Luna watched Usagi in amazement, while Zoisite gave her a weak smile. Finally Makoto broke the silence, offering, "C'mon, Zoisite, let's go home. You look like you need a _long_ nap." 

He murmurred an agreement, and Mako pointed out the direction. "Ja ne, minna. I hope you all can make it." 

As Makoto led Zoisite back to her house, the other senshi watched in silence. Luna suggested, "Everyone ought to go home now and try to get permission to stay at Makoto's house for the night." 

The girls nodded, and went off in several different directions to get home. 

***

( Dark Kingdom, Queen Beryl's throne room )

His energy had disappeared, but then returned. 

Beryl didn't understand at all. Her spies had watched Kunzite as he took Zoisite away; they had seen the rebellious King die, and brought back their reports. Kunzite had been stricken, shown no indication that he didn't believe that his lover was dead. Despite the relationship, which she had strongly disapproved of, he hadn't broken her control. 

So _who_ or _what_ was responsible for his return, and _how_? 

She stood, clearly in a rage, and began to take her anger out on the youma. Shrieks of fear soothed her nerves somewhat as the ghastly creatures fell before her wrath, and those unscathed tried to run. Endymion. He soon would be ready to fight against the senshi, and he could just as easily be sent to track down Zoisite. Just for fun, she'd make Kunzite accompany him, and not inform him of the goal of the mission. Let him find out when they located Zoisite, and Endymion killed him. 

_That will be_ most _amusing. I truly am brilliant._

Beryl smiled to herself, planning out her revenge gleefully.


	3. Chapter 2: Sleeping With the Enemy

( Juuban Section of Tokyo, Kino Makoto's apartment )

Zoisite had been asleep in the spare room for a couple of hours by the time anyone else showed up. He had loved Mako's cooking. He was even sort of cute, although he looked almost as feminine as she did. Wisely, though, she decided that an ex-King of the Dark Kingdom was probably not the best choice for a potential boyfriend. Especially one who already _had_ a boyfriend. 

Makoto was watching TV when the doorbell rang. She jumped, a bit startled, and hopped up to see who it was. Ami blinked at the peephole. 

She opened the door, and grinned, "Konban wa, Ami-chan. I probably don't have to tell you to be quiet... Zoisite's asleep." 

Ami nodded, following Mako inside. "Did he give you any trouble?" 

Makoto shook her head, "He likes my cooking, and he went right to sleep after he ate. He was sort of out of it. I guess being healed or whatever is pretty tiring..." 

Ami nodded, producing the zoisite stone from a pocket in her jacket. "He seems to be sincere. Beryl must have been controlling him somehow with this crystal. Nephrite was probably the same way, but broke the control because of Naru." 

The bell rang again just then, and Makoto let in Minako and Artemis. "Don't make too much noise. Zoisite's still sleeping." 

Artemis jumped up to the back of the couch, settling there. "Everything okay so far?" 

Makoto nodded, "Just fine so far." 

"What are we doing for this party, anyway, Mako-chan?" 

"Whatever everyone wants, Minako. I've got some movies and stuff, there's whatever's on TV, if Zoisite wakes up we're probably talking with him... I'll make dinner and snacks, of course." 

Ami smiled, "I hope everyone can make it. It's not all the time that we can have fun at our meetings." 

The doorbell rang right on cue, and Usagi and Rei were already arguing on the other side. 

"Baka! He tried to kill all of us! He tried to kill Mamo-chan, too!" 

"That wasn't really him!" 

Luna, perched on Usagi's shoulder, was sweat-dropping big-time. Makoto glared as she waved them in. " _Quiet_. Zoisite's asleep." 

Usagi carried a bag with some folded clothes in it, apparently the subject of the argument -- Rei lowered her voice as she walked in, and sighed in exasperation, "He's still an enemy, or used to be. You shouldn't be giving him presents, baka." 

"Well, unless Mako-chan's lending him clothes... which she could, since they're about the same size.. he'll need _something_ to wear. He certainly can't wear that uniform all the time." 

Makoto smiled, "That was nice of you, Usagi. He looks pretty cute in my pajamas, but I think he'd appreciate something that doesn't belong to a fourteen year old girl." 

Even Rei had to giggle at that. 

Luna headed for the couch, hopping neatly over Artemis to take the spot beside him. "Zoisite's defection from the Dark Kingdom brings up one idea that none of you has mentioned yet--" 

Ami piped up, "Actually, I was just waiting for Usagi. But now she's here. The next time we run into Kunzite--" 

Usagi nodded her head, "Try to heal him too." 

The five girls settled around the room -- Makoto and Ami on the couch, Usagi and Minako on beanbags, Rei on a chair. Mako put the TV on at a low volume, and they quickly found something interesting to watch. 

***

Zoisite was extremely confused to find himself in Beryl's throne room again, standing beside Kunzite. 

"You have performed very disgracefully, Kunzite, to awaken the Moon Princess and lose the Silver Crystal." 

"Forgive me, Queen Beryl-sama. However, the princess has just awakened, and cannot utilize the Silver Crystal to its full extent. I beg you for your patience." 

"That is true, Kunzite. But you have also allowed your pupil to break my orders and attempt to kill Tuxedo Kamen. That _cannot_ be tolerated!" 

Zoisite blinked in sudden alarm. The scene had started out just the same as when Beryl killed him. But that wasn't what had happened! He froze in fear, then blurted out, "Queen Beryl, I was the one who tried to kill him. If anyone deserves to be punished for the things I did, it's me!" 

"I will deal with you later. But for now, I will accept no more failures from you, Kunzite." 

"Please, give me one more chance." 

"Queen Beryl, I beg of you--" 

Beryl pointed, and power followed, arcing out from her fingertips to blast Kunzite. He was thrown back with a startled cry, landing on the floor with an unpleasant-sounding thud. When the flow of energy subsided, it was plain to see that he'd received a powerful shock, as well as been burnt by the attack. 

"Dispose of the carcass." 

Zoisite fell to his knees, screaming. "NOOOOOOOOOO!!" 

***

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!" 

All five girls leapt to their feet, reaching for their henshin pens. The cats yowled and bushed out their tails, spooked. Makoto headed for the door to the spare room and knocked sharply, no longer frightened after the initial shock of the scream. 

The only sound that she heard on the other side of the door was sobbing, quiet enough that the others couldn't make it out. 

Ami asked nervously, "What is it?" 

"Nightmare." Mako opened the door. Softly, "Zoisite? Are you awake?" She peered through the doorway. 

Zoisite was not so much sitting up in bed as slumped over his knees, which were drawn up, sobbing. The sound was much clearer once the door was opened. Makoto was about to go in, but Usagi beat her to it, the smaller girl darting past her easily. 

Zoisite blinked as Usagi flounced onto the bed, throwing her arms around him. His memories of Princess Selenity were of a woman who was kind and loving, graceful... Sailor Moon had little of the grace and maturity of the Moon Princess, but since she had healed him, she'd comforted him as if it were as much for herself as for him. 

"Shh, daijoubu, Zoisite. It was only a dream.. daijoubu." Despite Usagi being short enough and small enough to make him look tall by comparison, her hugs were incredibly comforting. Zoisite rubbed at his eyes, trying to stop from crying. 

Finally he calmed enough to try to speak. "I dreamed..." His voice cracked, and he was afraid he'd start crying again. "I dreamed Beryl killed Kunzite because I tried to kill Endymion... it was so much like what happened..." 

Makoto, standing in the doorway still with the other girls peering in from behind her, asked, "Do you feel up to coming out and telling us what happened?" 

Zoisite nodded, rubbing at his eyes again. "I think so..." He gave Usagi a weak, but real smile. "Arigatou, hime-sama." 

Usagi flushed, and offered, "My name's Tsukino Usagi. I'd rather you call me Usagi than any fancy titles. Especially if it's in front of people aside from who's in the house, who don't know I'm Sailor Moon." She moved away, and stood, giving him room to do the same. 

Makoto nodded, "Kino Makoto, or just Mako, is fine here. Come on out, there's plenty of room for everyone." 

Zoisite followed Makoto. His appearance once he was standing earned a round of giggles from the five girls: he had indeed borrowed Makoto's pajamas, and they fit fairly well, but they were pink with blue flowers and lace, not the most dignified look. 

Rei, who had settled back in the chair, nearly fell out of it laughing. "Maybe you could be a sailor senshi too. You look so cute!" 

Zoisite snorted. "I'll pass. These pajamas at least cover me well, unlike the mini-skirts on those silly costumes of yours." Then he realized that all five of the girls wore the fuku, not just Rei, and gulped. 

Ami tried to stifle a giggle. "Well, I think it's a good color on you..." Minako just covered her mouth with her hand. 

The two cats sat attentively on the back of the couch, and Zoisite stopped in front of Luna, looking down at her. "Gomen nasai, neko-san. I wasn't very nice to you at all when I was searching for that crystal." He jumped when Luna actually _answered_ him. 

"I accept the apology, especially since you were acting due to brainwashing." 

Zoisite blinked, and the girls giggled some more. 

Artemis added, "As long as you're sincere about no longer trying to harm anyone or work for Beryl, you're one of us." 

Zoisite stared. Luna, enjoying the shock value, hopped up on his shoulder, and rubbed her cheek against his, purring. He sighed, "This is going to take some getting used to. What are your names, kitties?" 

"I'm Luna, and that's Artemis. Shall we sit down?" Zoisite's eyes lit with recognition suddenly, and he nodded meekly at the cat on his shoulder, settling in the closest chair. 

"Oh! I'm Aino Minako, or Mina..." 

"Mizuno Ami." 

"And I'm Hino Rei." 

Usagi planted herself on the couch, and everyone else got settled again. Luna hopped down from Zoisite's shoulder to his lap, and he didn't even blink that time, just started to pet her. 

"I suppose I should start with how I ended up in the park, and then I'll go back to the beginning..." 

***

and the Mississippi's mighty  
but it starts in Minnesota  
at a place that you could walk across  
with five steps down  
and I guess that's how you started  
like a pin-prick to my heart  
but at this point you rush right through me  
and i start to drown

and there's not enough room  
in this world for my pain  
signals cross and love gets lost  
and time passed makes it plain  
of all my demon spirits  
i need you the most  
I'm in love with your ghost  
I'm in love with your ghost

*** *** ***

( Dark Kingdom, Kunzite's quarters )

He brushed his thumb gently over the frame, wiping away the fine layer of dust that had settled on it. _Gone forever... my beloved._ A tear snuck silently from one eye, sliding down his cheek and falling on the glass. _When I get my hands on..._ Confusion filled his mind for a moment, and he suddenly couldn't remember what he'd been thinking a moment ago. 

_Kunzite!_ Beryl's thought broke through his own.

_Yes, my Queen?_

_I am sending Endymion on a new project, and you will accompany him._ Kunzite cursed under his breath. Since when did he have to follow Beryl's  
pet around? Or anyone? This really didn't sound good at all. 

_I will be there momentarily, my Queen._

_Excellent._

Kunzite ran his fingers lovingly over the picture frame once more before setting it back on the dresser, and squared his shoulders before gathering his power to teleport to Beryl's throne room. 

***

( Makoto's apartment )

"I guess... I should start with when we saw each other last before you found me in the park. I'd wanted to kill Tuxedo Kamen for interfering with my job. I was supposed to find the rainbow crystals, and it was _my_ project, I was going to make Kunzite proud of me..." 

He rubbed at his eyes again. "Well, Beryl had told me not to kill Tuxedo Kamen... now I know why... she always was obsessed with Endymion. I tried to make it look like an accident, but it didn't fool her. Kunzite tried to get her to give me another chance, since we'd at least brought him back alive, but she wouldn't hear it. She killed me..." 

He looked up at that, meeting five rapt, if a little puzzled, gazes. 

"I know." Smirk. "She _did_ kill me. I remember dying. And then all of a sudden I was in the park, and I don't know how I got there." He sighed softly. "I need to find Kunzite... if you would help me, then we could free him from Beryl..." 

Usagi gazed at him with wide eyes. "She's keeping Endymion alive? He's not dead!" 

Zoisite sighed quietly to himself. Sweet girl, one track mind. "She's probably done the same thing to him as she did to the four of us... his former guardians. You should be able to heal him as well." 

Usagi squealed happily, grabbing Ami's hands and hopping up and down on the couch. The blue-haired girl blinked a little, startled, then gave her friend a cautious smile. 

Makoto smiled, "Just don't forget Kunzite, ne? You're not the only one with a lost love in the Dark Kingdom." 

Zoisite blushed cutely, and murmurred, "I really miss him already. And he probably thinks I'm dead... oh, my love..." He had to wipe at his eyes again as he thought of the way Kunzite had held him when he died. Even after all his mistakes, Kunzite still cared for him. 

Rei frowned. "What is the plan, then?" 

Ami suggested, "It may seem overly simple, but the best thing to do is probably to wait for the Dark Kingdom to attack again. It's easier than trying to find Kunzite or Endymion." 

Rei frowned further at that. "I don't like the idea of waiting for them to come after us. Zoisite knows his way around the Dark Kingdom--" 

"And Queen Beryl has already killed me once." 

Minako sighed, "But we'll be sitting and ducking." 

Everyone sweat-dropped. 

"I think you mean _sitting ducks_ , Mina. But we've been able to fend off the youma so far, and now we have a way to deal with Kunzite or Endymion too. We'll be safer waiting." Ami sounded convinced of it, and the other girls, as well as Zoisite, reached agreement with her. 

***

( Dark Kingdom, Endymion's quarters )

The dark-haired young man lay on his back on the bed, lost in thought. 

_Who am I?_

It was not the first time he had asked himself, not in the past few days, nor in his short life. But despite the constant whispering in the back of his mind, telling him that he was Endymion, commander of the forces of the Dark Kingdom, and chosen of Queen Beryl... it didn't feel right. That answer was easy, it was always close within his reach, but sometimes, unbidden, a flicker of memory would come to him, of a girl with golden hair, eyes as blue as a cloudless summer sky... 

_Endymion, report._

The same voice that spoke so freely of his supposed identity also whispered that it was an honor he had much desired to be favored by Beryl. It was easiest to let himself believe the voice, for it told him that he wanted to please her, and wanting to please Queen Beryl tended to lengthen  
the lifespan. 

_Yes, my Queen?_

_I wish to give your first assignment to you._

_I await your orders eagerly._

Surely there had to be more to his life than this. But he couldn't remember... anything. Including what his life had been like a few days ago. 

Oh, to be certain, the whispers almost immediately began to fill in the missing details for him... a career rising through the ranks of the military, a tournament, his defeat of Zoisite and that tempestuous King trying to murder him in retaliation. But he still had trouble trusting the whispers, although he couldn't see anything wrong with their story. After all, said the whispers, Zoisite had hurt him badly. He'd be back to normal soon enough. 

_I have learned that -- somehow -- Zoisite is alive. You will seek him for me, and Kunzite will assist you. He is not to know that you are looking for Zoisite until you have actually found the traitorous rat. If you wish, you may kill him yourself, but you may find it more... entertaining... to order Kunzite to do it. I know I would._

Now, _that_... that could be fun. 

_When do you wish for me to set out, my Queen?_

_Be in my throne room as soon as you are able. There, I will direct Kunzite to assist you in the mission that he will think you are being sent on._

_I will be right there._

One thing he was sure of, the chance to make Kunzite witness, let alone participate in, the recapture and likely execution of his lover was one that he didn't want to pass up. 

***

( Queen Beryl's throne room )

Kunzite appeared before Queen Beryl's throne, dropping instantly to his knees before the ruler of the Dark Kingdom. He had a very uneasy feeling about this entire affair, and on top of that wasn't sure whether he was glad or not that he was being pulled away from his grief. 

He had but a few moments to wait in that position, listening to the whispers of the youma, before Endymion appeared, and Beryl spoke. 

"Endymion, you shall seek the sailor senshi and retrieve the ginzuishou from them. Kunzite, you shall assist him. You will have the fifth regiment of youma at your disposal, and I expect results." 

Beryl fixed both with a steely gaze at that point, and Kunzite shivered, remembering suddenly Beryl's attack on Zoisite, and biting his lip to keep back tears at the thought of her merciless assault on his beloved. 

Endymion caught his expression and smirked. Delightful. Now not only did he have to follow Beryl's lapdog around, but the brainwashed Tuxedo Kamen bore a grudge. 

"Endymion. You will use this to assist you in finding the crystal." 

Beryl held out her hand, and from it rose a black crystal, not unlike one which Nephrite had been using, which floated into Endymion's grasp. He nodded, fixing Beryl with the glazed-eyed expression of the heavily brainwashed. Kunzite rarely had long to consider how that might reflect on him before the thought slipped from his mind. 

***

( Makoto's apartment )

The girls and Zoisite eventually settled down to watch television, and half were asleep before long. Zoisite was no longer tired, however, whether due to the nap, or fear of another nightmare, and sat watching the television in boredom, and idly scritching Luna's ears as the black cat dozed in his lap. 

Usagi began to snore on her end of the couch, at least until Rei elbowed her and the turned over to avoid the poking. The television droned at low volume, but otherwise the room was far too quiet, and it unnerved Zoisite to no end. 

Luna stirred and finally woke, drowsily pulling herself to her feet so she could stretch. Niyao? She looked up at Zoisite with a feline curiosity that almost made him forget she wasn't a normal cat. 

"Daijoubu, Zoisite?" 

He shook his head. "Not at all." 

Luna curled back up in his lap, alert now. "Well, then why don't you tell me about it? I am an advisor, after all." 

Zoisite bit his lip, trying to keep back tears. "I'm worried for Kunzite... I don't know what I'm going to do now that I'm out of the Dark Kingdom... I'm afraid Beryl will just kill me again, and Kunzite too... I don't understand how Sele-- how Usagi, or the others, can possibly forgive me after everything I've done..." A few tears fell in spite of his best efforts. 

Luna purred softly, rubbing her head against his ribcage. It was kind of unnerving to be comforted by an intelligent cat, but reassuring all the same. After all, she was warm and fuzzy, and helpful and smart, all at once. 

"Of course you're worried and confused. You've been through a lot just now, and things _are_ uncertain right now. But we'll work things out soon enough. After all, you should know that the senshi are tougher than they look. By the way, you seem to remember more about the past than they do. That knowledge may be useful to us." 

Zoisite wrapped his arms around the black cat, hugging her gratefully. _No wonder she's their advisor. She's good at this sort of thing._ She'd even managed to make him feel a little bit useful. 

"Arigatou, Luna..." His voice was a little shaky. 

"Why don't you get some rest, like the girls? I'll keep you company if you want to go back to the spare room." Luna was honestly pleased to have a genuine adult in the group, and hopefully they'd soon be able to find and heal Endymion and Kunzite. As fond as she was of the senshi, they were only schoolgirls and needed more guidance from adults who were aware of their mission. 

Zoisite rubbed at his eyes, whether from tears or sleepiness. "I could use some more sleep... I guess I should be able to now." Luna hopped to his shoulder as he sat up. He got up from the couch, and headed quietly for Makoto's spare room to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand that's a wrap. Like I said, I had done some work on the next chapter, but I can't find it, and all this was written over 15 years ago, so while it's not impossible that I might be inspired to do something else with it, it's not very likely.


End file.
